~ Dance With The Dragon ~

Amid the furor from hundreds-of-thousands -perhaps millions- of protestors, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announces a ‘suspension‘ of the proposed extradition law that would have permitted extradition of Hong Kong residents to Chinese law enforcement.

Lam apologized on Sunday, for the way the Hong Kong government handled the proposal but she did not fully take the controversial law off the table.  The ripple effect of the proposal itself now calls into question the autonomy of Hong Kong, and many observers foresee it is now only a matter of time before China takes a tighter grip.
Currently Hong Kong is not subject to the same economic consequences within the U.S-China confrontation.  As long as Hong Kong is considered ‘autonomous’ they remain detached from U.S. tariffs and other measures targeted to China.  However, if China breeches the increasingly unclear barriers, judicial and legal systems intended to provide that autonomy – well, then the situation could change.  Hong Kong is tenuous at best.
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Earlier today President Donald Trump delivered remarks to an international audience gathered to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the allied liberation of Europe (Video, Transcript and Pictorial):

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[Transcript]  THE PRESIDENT: President Macron, Mrs. Macron, and the people of France; to the First Lady of the United States and members of the United States Congress; to distinguished guests, veterans, and my fellow Americans:
We are gathered here on Freedom’s Altar. On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives, for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty.
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Most of the events commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day will take place in the very early morning hours today.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will attend the 75th anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery in France. President Trump, along with French President Macron and other world leaders, will honor the Allied troops’ maneuver that led to the turning point of World War II.
UPDATE: Full Video Added

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Citing the ongoing internal investigation of FBI leaks to media, from the 2018 OIG report on FBI conduct, today the Office of Inspector General outlined a preponderance of evidence against a corrupt FBI Deputy Asst. Director.  However, the DOJ is refusing to prosecute:

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The most alarming aspect is the OIG finding of the Deputy Asst. Director leaking grand jury information to the media, and yet the DOJ is declining to prosecute.
Incredibly, the inspector general (IG) indicated, without explanation, that “prosecution of the DAD [deputy assistant director] was declined.”  Instead, the investigation’s findings will be referred to the FBI for “appropriate action”.   What the hell is going on?
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President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made an unscheduled visit to Arlington National Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day.  As more than 260,000 flags were being placed at the graves of U.S. service members, the president and first lady visited with U.S. Army personnel who participate in the annual remembrance and solemn event.

The President and First Lady placed flags at headstone of Frank Buckles who was the last surviving World War I veteran before his passing.  President Trump will not be in the U.S. to observe the Memorial Day holiday, as both he and Melania head to Japan for an official state visit on Friday.
While in Japan President Trump and the first lady will be participating in a Memorial Day event at Yokosuka U.S. Naval Base where they will honor our fallen soldiers.
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This evening President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump host the 2019 White House Historical Society Association Dinner.

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[Transcript] East Room – THE FIRST LADY: Good evening. Please, sit down. The President and I are delighted to be with you, all of you, this evening as we celebrate the incredible work of the White House Historical Association over this past year and prepare for our continued work to preserve and restore the People’s House in the years to come.
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Good discussion between Tom Friedman and Steve Bannon on the ‘big picture’ of the U.S. -vs- China geopolitical trade confrontation.   Friedman is an insufferable prog on methods, but he recognizes the President Trump approach is necessary.  Worth Watching:

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Where academic Friedman is helplessly naive is on the key point of how a coalition approach toward China is a pipe-dream.  When it comes to economics each entity has unique self-interests.  Put fifty self-interested governments together (ie. TPP) and you end up with paralysis of analysis and no action; as each entity fights to hold their own interest over the group interest….. While China grows in the background.
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French President Emmanuel Macron said today he wants to see the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral rebuilt within five years.  During a televised address to the nation Macron affirmed “we will rebuild Notre Dame cathedral even more beautiful.”  He added “we can do it and once again, we will mobilize” to do so.

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Earlier today President Trump met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the oval office.  President al-Sisi is a key member of the regional alliance for peace.

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[Transcript] – 12:17 P.M. EDT – PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. It’s a great honor to be with President Al Sisi of Egypt. We have many things to discuss, as you can imagine: military, trade.
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Journalists Sara Carter and John Solomon sit down for a lengthy discussion of the multi-year weaponization of the DOJ, FBI and intelligence apparatus to target Donald Trump and his administration. This is the biggest political scandal of our lifetime.

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The conspiracy to stop, undermine and overthrow the presidency of Donald Trump is also the greatest opportunity in modern political history to confront corruption within the U.S. federal government. There can be no ‘moving on’ until every measure is taken to hold these participants accountable for their unlawful and unconstitutional effort.
Every person who has read the extensive research into this conspiracy MUST contact their representatives and let them know that We The People are fully aware of the actions that took place; and we will NOT accept any effort to cover-up what has happened. That notification is our first step. This is what we can do. ‘A republic if we can keep it’!
If we do not raise our voices, today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes; and demand a full reckoning of the uncovered corruption over the past three years; the administrative state will simply bury it. There is no doubt the weaponization of our government will happen again; only the next time we will not be as fortunate to have a President that can withstand the onslaught on our behalf….
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